How bad is it to move during year 6?

[WhyAreThereNoNamesLeft]

Any views please on how disruptive it is to the child to change school during year 6?

We are moving house (I hope!) about 35 miles away. DC are year 6 and year 5. Might be moving late October/ early November. Should be in time for secondary school application (with extension to end of Nov if you move). Secondary school is one of our motivations for moving.

The DC are completely happy about moving house, happy about the secondary school they’ll hopefully go to. Last I checked a nearby primary had space for both of them.

Only negative is that as DC1 said “I don’t think it’s very sensible to move in the middle of year 6” and I understand. In the middle of home schooling hell though this seemed less relevant!

I originally thought we’d have the option, to weigh up at least, of keeping them at their old schools for the rest of the school year. It’s probably an hour drive in rush hour, but I’ve commuted similar and it’s decent roads. But I can’t think of a sensible way to make that work, it all gets very tricky with work and childcare.

Obvious benefit of changing mid year 6 is that he’d know people in year 7.

He is confident and friendly, but an acquired taste so a few good friends rather than lots of friends. Very good at maths but less so in English. Current school isn’t very academic, and also gave no set work during lockdown, so his year group is even more behind. Potential new primary has much higher SATs results, so I’d be concerned he’d be at a lower level, making a transition even more difficult.

[Beamur]

Given how disrupted year 5 must have been, I'd take the chance now to go to the new school.
It's as good a time as any and personally I wouldn't worry too much about the SATS.
I think there is potential benefit in having some friends ahead of high school, but those friendships change anyway.

[WhyAreThereNoNamesLeft]

Thanks

And before anyone suggests homeschooling.... no!!!

[whirlwindwallaby]

We moved from overseas at Easter of year 6, DS then went on to a different secondary to the children in his class. He was fine! He had his polo shirt signed on his last day at his old primary school, new primary he saw as a very temporary thing so he wasn't bothered about the move and then going on to a secondary school where he didn't know anyone. Moving to a primary with children who will be going to the same secondary would be easier I think.

[lanthanum]

They may have higher SATs results, but they're still likely to have the full ability range. There's quite a bit of revision and consolidation done in year 6, and he'll be there by the time they get to that stage. They're probably all going to have more gaps this year than usual, and the teachers are bound to spend some time identifying those gaps and doing what they can to remedy them.

It's not like GCSE where they might have missed doing Romeo and Juliet and have a whole play to catch up.

[RepeatSwan]

I think it's fine. I'm pretty relaxed about moving children, it is a problem if repeated but I can't see year x being enormously worse than year y, they leave their friends anyway.

However when I did it at the same stage I homeschooled the year six...

[idril]

Better to move in year 6 and move to secondary with a few people they know than to move at the end of year 6. Year 6 really isn't anything special.

[steppemum]

first, SATs are not going to effect his move to secondary. Most schools don't use them and many do their own tests.

It isn't great to move in year 6, and I would probably only do it if I knew that he would go on to secondary with some of them
Many many kids go to secondaries with no kids from their class, but having to make friends twice is pretty hard work.

But overall, I think kids do manage to get on with it, and it teaches them new skills and teaches them resilience.
plus side - access to good secondary
downside - moving time isn't perfect. They will be fine.

make sure he has a good goodbye from his current school.

[Iamnotthe1]

first, SATs are not going to effect his move to secondary. Most schools don't use them and many do their own tests.

Unfortunately, this isn't strictly true and is a common misconception. Secondaries can set their own internal targets but a child's external and official target is set as a result of how they do in their SATs. Secondaries are judged against those targets, not their own internal ones, and so they do affect what happens with your child during the journey from the start of Year 7 to the end of Year 11.

That being said, as a Year Six teacher, I've had a new student join in September/October every year for the last three years. They've always settled well and, with a lot of support, done reasonably well in their assessments. It was exceptionally positive for each of them to make a new set of friends ahead of secondary and it did make that transition a lot easier for them.

[Constanttaxiservice]

I moved my very shy child after christmas in year 6. It was fine. She made some good friends ready for secondary. She def missed the rites of passage of leaving with the children she had spent the last 7 years with but this year that probably won't happen anyway. It did no harm to her SATs results, as someone else said, its mainly revision anyway.

[WhyAreThereNoNamesLeft]

Thanks all, that’s pretty reassuring. If we get the primary school I expect then I’d guess most, if not all, go to the secondary mine would go to - because of the way the catchments fall.

[Adadinma]

Hi Ladies,
Searching for advice and came across this post. Am in a similar situation; SAT is in May this year and we have course to move to a new city in March. No school yet for my DD cos they won't place her until we eventually move. Am so worried about its impact on my DD writing SATs a month and half after the move. I don't even know how soon the new council can find her a place in time for SAT. If we stayed until the end on SAT, we will struggle seriously financially. Any thoughts on this Ladies please.

[Hersetta427]

I think it's fine as long as you do it before the deadline for applying for secondary schools so you are not considered a late application and having very little choice on what school you get.

[robin20009]

I would go for it. Its a good time to start building new connections with other children who will go to their secondary school .

We moved our daughter in year 6, she was totally fed up at the previous school, it was the best thing we did. She said the final year at the new school was brilliant and she made friends with children who she still keeps in touch with now.

[RedskyThisNight]

@Adadinma I'd suggest starting your own thread. Most posters won't realise you've posted an entirely different question.

(For what it's worth, I wouldn't worry about moving a child for SATS, I'd worry about having to make a late application to secondary school and where you'd get a place. And I guess the earlier you move, the more options you might have).

[Adadinma]

Thanks Ladies.